14 DAY TRIAL // It seems that Dell is preparing a containerized data center for one of its customers, according to some sources The Register quotes. Many major manufacturers have chosen this direction lately, although some laughed at Sun Microsystems when it first came up with a data center in a shipping container. "We have (a container system) in the works for a customer", said a Dell insider. "We are looking at that space very, very closely."
According to The Register, multiple sources sustain that Dell plans to build a container data center that extends beyond a one-off box. Dell's plan goes the same direction already taken by companies like Sun, Rackable Systems and Verari. These already developed data center containers called White Trash Data Centers. IBM, another major company going in the same direction, has the idea of putting its iDataPlex units into containers.
At first, government customers, national labs and financial services were the customers that needed powerful data centers but did not want to get new ones all the time. A containerized data center could be most useful to the Army, for example, as it can be dumped anywhere if it has power and water. Financial services in New York, on the other hand, would need these to be placed on top of buildings, as they lack the space inside.
Microsoft has recently purchased almost 200 containers to power its cloud, this way taking things to another level.
Rumors say that Dell will use refrigerant based micro-channel coils with a refrigerant-to-water heat exchanger for external cooling connectivity for its container, as the company and Liebert have been spending some time lately on the matter. Also, some say that Dell will probably not have a built-in uninterruptible power supply. If Dell is aiming at Microsoft's business then this is understandable, since the software company has not requested for an integrated UPS, at least that's was it has been said. If rumors are true then Dell is preparing a container for Microsoft's late April RFP.
During the past two years, Dell has run a DCS program (Data Center Solutions) to build up custom-made systems if it had enough orders. DCS fits best with the cloud set, including Web 2.0 type firms and large service providers, but it also goes well with high performance computing customers like oil and gas firms that may see the program as one bringing lots of advantages.
The idea is that Dell goes deeply in analyzing its customers' businesses, so as to provide the solution the company thinks fits best. Dell is also trying to elaborate unique beard designs or find a suitable supplier for the needed parts and create a cloud-ready system. The company will offer the same system to another customer in the same line or create custom systems if the request is large enough.
Under DCS program Dell has already made four units, three of them being servers while the fourth is a storage box.
One of the servers, XS23, seems to be a bit special and Dell has unveiled no information on it. You should also know that the unit can not be purchased very easily. The XS23 Gathers 4 two-socket servers in a 2U chassis, where also come twelve 3.5 inch SAS/SATA drives across the front part of the system. The server has been designed for a search company believed to be Ask.com.
The system occupies 25% less space than any general purpose blades that have about 16 two-socket servers in 10U. The redundant power supplies and fans have been stripped out to get this density and we should also note that the software to deal with failures exists as well.
Dell seems to have all it needs to take care of the cloud set on its own. Some companies are still left behind in that matter, but they're trying to catch up. Also, Dell tried its hand at an acquisition of Rackable Systems to make the thing easier for the cloud set, but it was turned down.